Age and the Varying Emotions - Term Paper Example

Age and the Varying Emotions Bara William Oakland Age and the Varying Emotions Emotion is a particular of psychology, which is characterized by psychological expression as well as biological reactions. Emotions are considered as a mental state of cautious experience of individuals. Besides, emotions are also considered as a complex state of the human mind that involves various components. It has also been observed that emotions are equally coordinated with the aspect of motivation, mood and personality of a person. It is mainly oriented by the psychological changes among people (Emotion Research Group, 2004). The change in behavior of individuals has been expressed by different types of emotions. Researchers in the domain of psychology have expressed their opinion regarding the practical explanation of emotions. They depicted emotions to be imposable in nature rather it can only explained through the implementation of the prevailing theories. Apart from that it has also been firmly stated that emotion is not a part of scientific research method rather it is an important part of psychological studies (Kleinginna & Kleinginna, 1981). There are different types of emotional theories that have been focused towards studying human emotions. The theories of emotion mainly include cognitive, psychological and neurological perspectives. In this regard, there are three primary theories that will be taken into consideration in this research study comprising James- Lange theory of emotion, The Cannon- Bard theory of emotion and Schachter-Singer Theory. James- Lange theory of Emotion James- Lange theory of Emotion is one of the oldest and widely used theories in the domain of studying human emotion. The theory has been developed by two theorists including William James and Car Lange. It has been stated that both the theorist has prepared their viewpoints separately for the theory with the core idea or the conception to be similar (Emotion Research Group, 2004). The theory of emotion by James and Lange depicted that the emotion is a particular aspect that is not a direct impact of an event but is the result of an event. Apart from that both the theorist has expressed the aspect that to realize the feeling of emotions, any person will need to understand or depend on their bodily response. The bodily response or experiences on individuals include breathing, heart beat response and sweaty hands in some scenarios. By experiencing these responses and experiences, one people can be able to comprehend the emotions of others. For instance, when a person witness a barking dog approaching him/her, he/she tend to get scared owing to which heart beta will rise. This aspect further shows that fear is a kind of human emotions (Kleinginna & Kleinginna, 1981). Cannon-Bard Theory The Cannon– Brad theory has been developed by two individual theorist comprising Walter Cannon and Philip Bard. Both the theorists have conducted research over the subject of emotion and contemplate few measures over the theory presented by the James and Lange. In this particular theory, both the theorist was able to depict emotions and experiences of people through psychological reactions such as muscle tension, trembling as well as sweating. As per the concept of emotion coined by the duo of Cannon and Bard, people are responsive with regard to their stimulus as well as experiences and the same is directly relevant to human brain (Emotion Research Group, 2004). Schachter-Singer Theory Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer are two famous psychologists who have developed a particular theory regarding human emotions. The theorist approached towards preparing one common and universally accepted theory collectively further using as well as presenting a different set of evidence. The developed theory was further named as Schachter-Singer theory (Foster, n.d.). As per the theory of Schachter & Singer, to experience any emotion, both physical and psychological responses are required. For instance, if an alligator is chasing towards a person and person is having high pulse or heart rate, it is recognized that the person is experiencing fear. Therefore, in this regards it can be stated that to experience any emotion, both physical and psychological response are needed (Foster, n.d.). Methods Participants To conduct this research, the paper will take into consideration the experiences of the participants who are selected. In this regard, the selected participants are from three different age groups. Each participant from a particular group is three years younger from the other participants from the other group. The participants belong from three different age groups, i.e. 13-18 years, 19-25 years, and 26-59 years. Every age group is holding separate attributes. Participants here belonging from the age group of 13-18 years are known as adolescents. In this age group, participants experience distinct feelings and emotions as well as the participants are little immature in nature. The second age group is the emerging adult. In this age group, participants are at the age of 19 to 25 years. The participants of this age group are often observed as experiencing different types of emotions, which tend to be more matured than the first age group. The last age group that has been selected for this research paper is known as mature adult or adults belonging to 26 to 59 years. The participants of this age group belong from three different generations wherein it has been observed that participates belonging to the different age groups possess different types of mental status or psychology that further reflects through their emotions (Foster, n.d.). Materials For the First Age Group 1st Participant: What will be your reaction when you are rewarded by your class teacher? As per the responses of the participants at the age of 13, it can be depicted that when a particular person in his/her adolescence is rewarded or praised by his or her superior, he/she experiences extreme happiness. It can be explained as - the activity of emotion in such scenario depicts practical expressions of an individual. On the other hand, school student’s reaction or emotions in this regard can be identified in the form of visible reactions, such as loud noise, jumping and many more. 2nd Participant: What will be your reaction during the failure in an assignment provided by the college? As per the acquired responses by the participants at the age of 18 years, a person who have seen the failure in any task, at the initial stage, he/she will experience a shock of some sort. In this regards, the person expresses his or her emotions through crying or being upset. When compared to men and women, boys and girls carry different perspectives and thoughts over any situation. In this context, student or participants, if fails in an assignment, can get a shock and this will be expressed by crying, especially for the females. For the Second Age Group 1st Participants: What will be your reaction when you face a job interview? At the age of 21 years, a particular person deals with numerous cognitive difficulties and changes, which can further have an impact their thought processes and approaches. Along with this, the participants will also attain knowledge to being accustomed with several changes, which he or she has been facing in life. Contextually, the emotions of a person will also change in accordance to the new situation. In this context, the person expresses his/her emotion, which includes fear as well as nervousness. As per the question, if a person faces job interview at his/her age, he/she has a fear in mind, which can also be regarded as a particular sort of emotion. During this situation the participants accordingly deals with situations or feeling of nervousness, which consequently leads to fast heart beat. 2nd Participants: What will be your reaction when you will face embarrassment from your superior? The participant is at the age of 25 years and explains his experiences through his maturity. It can be stated that any person at the age of 25 years is more mature than the one with an age of 19 years. In this context, after getting embarrassed by his/her superior, the persons will feel insulted and alone, with the feeling of sweat hands, which will express the level or the extent of how he got hurt from the incident. For the Third Age Group 1st Participants: What will happen when you are getting affected due to the any happy family situation? The first participants of this age group are at the age of 35 years. The age of 35 years is recognized as mature adult, who had gain many experiences throughout his life cycle. The mature adult people have several responsibilities in their life cycle. When they get any good news about their children, they reward them while in case of anything wrong, along with punishment are provided to their children. 2nd Participants at the age of 52- What will be your reaction towards the life style of your grandson? Results suggested that that the old adult at the age of 52 will not able to accept the living style of the young age people. The old participant might get angry if the young people advise them about their own lifestyle. Procedure The age group selected for the study includes 13-18, 19-25, and 26-59. Each age group have different attributes altogether. The age group 13-18 which is known as adolescence includes participants belonging to age group in between 13 to 18. In this age group participants have experienced different feelings and emotions, which has been in alignment with their psychology. The second age group which is 19-25 is popularly as the group of emerging adults. In this group, the participants are in between the age of 19 to 25. The person or the participants of this age group are experiencing different types of emotion when compared to the first age groups. The last age group, which has been selected for the research paper is known as mature adult or adults who are in between 26 to 59. This particular age group includes participants of three different generations. It has been observed that the people or participates belonging to this age groups have different types of mentality or psychology (Foster, n.d.). During the interview the researcher has used the pen ended questions to the participants. The question has prepared differently for the different age groups. Apart from this the question are synchronized and more reliable in nature as it can be helpful for the participants. References Emotion Research Group. (2004). Theories and models of emotion: a swamp (?). Humaine Geneva Workshop, 1-40. Foster, J. D. (n.d.). Theories of emotions. Emotion, 1-7. Kleinginna, P. R., & Kleinginna, A. M. (1981). A categorized list of emotion definitions, with suggestions for a consensual definition. Motivation and Emotion, 5(4), 1-35. Appendix A Consent Form Date: __________________________________________________ Study Name: Research Study on Emotions Researchers: [Include your name, office address, contact information] _______________________ Purpose of the research: To evaluate the importance of emotions in human life with the help of theories and practical experiences What you will be asked to do in the research: [Include a statement regarding the estimated time commitment for the participant]. The participants will express their personal opinion regarding their emotions for different situations. Risks and Discomforts: We do not foresee any risks or discomfort from your participation in the research. [If there is a possibility of harm, it needs to be described] There is no such discomfort observed during the study. Benefits of the Research and Benefits to You: The research helps to understand different type of reaction acquired from participants of varied age group Voluntary Participation: All the participants have participated in the interview at their individual consent. Withdrawal from the Study: The participants are availed with the option to withdraw their name from the interview session. Confidentiality: The researcher has ensured confidentiality of personal data of the respondents acquired during the research. Questions about the Research? The research question was “What are the influence of human beliefs, values and thought process upon their emotions?” Legal Rights and Signatures: Hereby, I (fill in your name here)……………………… give my consent to participate in (insert study name here), conducted by (insert investigator name here). I have understood the nature of this project and wish to participate willingly. I am not waiving any of my legal rights by signing this form. My signature below indicates my free consent. Signature Date Participant Signature Date Principal Investigator Read More